<p>I just finished watching a 7th heaven episode about the Darfur conflict and it got me wondering what we, as young people, are doing to help the situation is Darfur.</p>
<p>Personally, I have not really done anything. I hope that my school could start some sort of fundraiser or something and get students informed about the situation. One of my teachers mentioned it and most people didn't even know what he was talking about.</p>
<p>I have the darfur website in my AIM profile. Other than that nothing, sadly.</p>
<p>nope, not doing anything.
Feel kinda bad but then I don't do much about any human rights violations.</p>
<p>I get stuff from STAND but I've not done anything with it yet, but I will this semester now that I have less obligations. At the end of the school year, around Yom HaShoah, I'm going to orchestrate a big week-long genocide awareness fundraiser. I had a bit of it planned last year but it fell through. I also have little things, like a green Darfur bracelet which has enlightened a few classmates on the atrocity, mention it when relevant during class to open some ears, and I went to the Darfur rally at the end of last April.</p>
<p>all of this is kinda in vain, because no one at my school cares at all, but atleast it's something...next year I'll be going to STANDeis, a ha.</p>
<p>In my english class last semester, the TA picked darfur as our topic, so I had to research it a lot and write two papers on it...</p>
<p>It's pretty bad over there, and knowing what I do now, I know I should really do something to help. I haven't done anything yet but I think I will donate stuff eventually, and also spread word to friends and family.</p>
<p>I'm going to do nothing.</p>
<p>^, niiice</p>
<p>(not being sarcastic)</p>
<p>I'm in a facebook group....</p>
<p>Honestly, I'm really not sure why we're the only ones expected to do something about like it's our responsibility, when really, it's the generations before us that caused this genocide.</p>
<p>We're the victims of great expectations-we're expected by the adult world to solve all the world's problems when it was their mess to clean up in the first place.</p>
<p>^^^
sadly that's what every generation says--"not our fault!"</p>
<p>But it's really not our fault.</p>
<p>My school's Multicultural Club have been raising money and donating it to help Darfur. What the organization the money goes to does, I have no idea. I'm the club's treasurer, and I can say we've given about $300 as of now, which is pretty good, considering how little fund raising we're allowed to do.</p>
<p>Life's not fair, just because it's not our fault, doesn't mean we don't have a responsibility to do something.</p>
<p>Exactly. ^^</p>
<p>I'm sorry, but this is repulsive.</p>
<p>We're human beings. Living in a human world. Especially as the world becomes more and more global, we have a responsibility to help other human beings even if they are not our paysans. Moreover, alot of us are American, and luckily we don't have problems like genocide and civil war in our country. We ought to help the less fortunate. But not out of pity, white man's burden, but compassion. </p>
<p>"The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference. The opposite of art is not ugliness, it's indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, it's indifference. And the opposite of life is not death, it's indifference. </p>
<p>"There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest. </p>
<p>This is the duty of our generation as we enter the twenty-first century -- solidarity with the weak, the persecuted, the lonely, the sick, and those in despair. It is expressed by the desire to give a noble and humanizing meaning to a community in which all members will define themselves not by their own identity but by that of others.”</p>
<p>Atleast listen to a survivor of genocide...</p>
<p>There's a difference between responsibility and charity.</p>
<p>I think what's happening is horrible as much as the next person, and I am indeed doing something for it. However, I think what we're doing for Darfur is charity. There'll be people out there feeling perfectly fine that this stuff is going on while they're sipping coffee next to a room filled with family, and there'll be others who are working on donations and etc. </p>
<p>To each his own. It's a good thing to help, but it's not disgusting or immoral to not.</p>
<p>What exactly can we do?
charity and donations are not very effective when faced with genocide. What the people of Darfur need are peacekeepers to protect them from the Janjaweed (or is it Ganjaweed, lol). The AU peacekeepers are stretched and an incompetent lot. Even the UN's peacekeepers are unable to protect all of Darfur. Meanwhile, the Arab militias conduct raids with the help of the Sudanese armed forces.</p>
<p>Military action AGAINST the militias/Sudan can come from three possible sources: UN, US, and NATO. Political forces in these three institutions are reluctant to send troops to actually fight the militias.</p>
<p>I only speak for myself and my own conscience. Personally, I don't think it matters <em>that</em> much if my own efforts actually do something, but what matters is that I'm making an effort. Money can be given to organizations that campaign to put pressure on the US and the UN (especially the US)-- that's what I would do. Pressure is a wonderful tool. It's all about getting people to -listen-. </p>
<p>I just have an ethical problem with remaining neutral and cynicism.</p>
<p>Good luck with your effort.
The pressure, exerted through protests and whatnot, is very inconsequential to our leaders. Try influencing China with your donations, they are the ones who block UN action on Sudan.</p>